//------------------------------// // Part 1 // Story: Let's Kill King Sombra! // by defender2222 //------------------------------// “Alright, ya’ll, let me make sure we got everything ya need.” Applejack looked down at the list she’d laid out on an empty crate, going over it line by line. “Five bushels of apples…” She looked up, concern clearly written on her features. “Ya sure ya’ll are gonna be able to eat’em in time?” She knew that Granny wouldn’t be happy if she talked them out of this sale, but Applejack just couldn’t sit by and watch some honest pony throw their bits away on food they wouldn’t be able to eat. “Apples can go south quick.” “Not if you put them in a frozen-time cube. Nothing ages, nothing rots, and gives them a nice crisp taste.” The Doctor laughed as he inspected the crates. “Every home should have one, honestly.” “Alright…” Applejack said, staring at the Doctor like he had gone completely mad. “Two barrels of Apple Family Cider.” She frowned, glancing over at the brown stallion. “How did ya manage to get on the waiting list so quick? I thought Derpy said this trip wasn’t planned.” “It wasn’t,” the Doctor said, motioning for Big Mac to place the barrels inside the TARDIS. The Hooves family had decided a year ago to let the Elements of Harmony know about the wonderful blue box… mostly to ensure that Twilight didn’t get it into her head that the TARDIS was some sort of strange monster that needed to be defeated. He didn’t know what a blast from the elements would have to the sexy girl but he didn’t want to find out. The six mares and their families had marveled over the time machine and later had come to accept it as just another place in Ponyville, no different than Rarity’s boutique or Rainbow Dash’s cloud ‘house’. That didn’t mean, of course, that Big Mac didn’t take an awkward first step into the machine, silently praying he managed to emerge unscathed. Just because he accepted that there was a machine that was bigger on the inside didn’t mean he trusted it. “But then how did ya…?” Applejack began. “Oh, that. Well, when I decided that I should get some cider for the trip I just popped back to your last cider season and signed up for a few barrels.” The Doctor began to chuckle. “Oh, I did enjoy the antics of the Flim Flam brothers.” “But… uh…” Applejack scratched her head. While the Doctor and his family had explained all about their little ‘trips’ to her and the rest of her friends, Applejack simply had trouble believing it. Traveling to another country was something that left the mare amazed and was something to get excited about; traveling half-way across the globe was something she might do one day. Traveling to another planet? Mind boggling. Travel backwards and forwards through time? That was something she just couldn’t handle, so Applejack did the only thing she could: she shifted topics to something she did understand. “So, where are ya’ll goin’?” “Ah, well,” the Doctor began bending down to check his saddlebag one last time, “Dinky heard your sister Apple Bloom and the rest of her friends discussing the Equestrian Games-“ “Yeah, that’s gonna be a big thing. Since Twilight is a princess now an’ everythin’, she’s gonna rope all of us some tickets! Not for the entire thing, mind ya, since we can’t leave the farm on its own for too long, but I’m thinkin’ we can manage ta spend a day or two up in the Crystal Empire watchin’ them do the buckin’ competitions.” Applejack shook her head and laughed. “I tell ya, me and Big Macintosh just get snortin’ when it comes to those; strength for one contest, accuracy for another… a true bucker knows that it has ta be a mixture of both.” “Yes, I suppose so,” the Doctor said. “Well, we-“ “Ya see, it is all about balancin’ both,” Applejack said, warming up to her topic. “Strength, accuracy, and control. That’s the key! Let’s say I want ta knock ya out nice and quick. In order ta do that, I need ta first figure out how hard of a buck ta give ya.” Applejack turned her back towards an old fencepost that was sticking up out of the ground and gave it a hard kick, shattering the tip right off. “See, too strong and I end up doin’ worse than just knockin’ ya out.” “Yes, I see that,” the Doctor said nervously, backing away from the mare. He barely got a foot before Applejack bucked again, stopping her hoof just as it hit the fence post. The resulting hit caused a dent to appear in the wood but didn’t make splinters go flying. “See, next is control. I have ta make sure I stop at the right point, so I don’t hurt my leg on something.” “Like on my bones,” the Doctor muttered, only to yelp when Applejack threw the bit of wood she’d knocked off the post and then easily kicked it in mid-air, driving the pointy piece of lumber through the Doctor’s legs and into a tree stump 4 yards away. “Eep.” “See, accuracy. I could nail two apples with a shard of wood from 20 yards out!” The Doctor began to slowly back into the TARDIS. “Yes, that is quite a nice little hobby you have there and I am not fleeing because of it in the slightest!” The Doctor tossed Applejack her bits and quickly ducked into the TARDIS and slammed the door… only to open it back up and shove Big Mac out. The stallion looked at his sister, blinking before shrugging his shoulders and trotting off towards Sharp Saw’s shop to see if the blacksmith was done with the plow Mac had brought to be resharpened. The Hooves’ order had given them enough to do some repairs on the old equipment and Mac was excited to get things working at tip-top shape. “I swear that family is stranger than a horde of weevils trapped in a wool sock.” Applejack picked up the bag of bits and, after tossing it into her hat, began to walk away. She had just made it off the Hooves’ lot when she heard a strange “rrrrerrr rrrrerrrr” sound. Turning, the farmpony screwed up her brow when she saw that the blue box was gone, leaving the little lot looking as if it had never been used. “Never gonna get use ta that.” ~DH~DH~DH~ “Doctor, are you ok?” Derpy asked, looking up from the TARDIS’ control panel. “You look awfully pale… Applejack didn’t give you some kind of apple disease, did she? Oh, if she gave you worms I am going to do such horrible things to her muffins!” “How could she give me an apple disease?” The Doctor asked. “Well, you like apples and they say you are what you eat…” The Doctor began to manipulate several levers. “I honestly wish I could tell when you were joking.” “I wish I could too,” Derpy said with a smile, using her wing to move the zigzag lever. “Have you seen Dinky?” “I believe she is getting ready in her room-“ “Nope, cuss here I am!” Dinky said happily, rushing into the room wearing a Fillydelphia Flyer’s jersey. “Are we there yet? Are we?” “Not yet, muffin, but close,” Derpy said, looking at the monitor. “I’m gonna wait by the door!” Dinky exclaimed happily. “That will make me closer to the outside so I’ll get there before you guys!” “Well it doesn’t quite…” the Doctor glanced at his daughter, who was staring up at him with big happy eyes, and smiled, “…yes, yes that will work out perfectly.” For the last two weeks Miss Cheerilee had been teaching the class about the Equestrian Games and their history. From their start in the year 417 BC, when they were matches between the three pony tribes to show off their skills; then the last games in 115 BC, when the tribes had truly split and bitterness and hatred had nearly led to the end of ponykind; to their revival in 910 AD as a response to the Grand Global Games that saw Griffland, Prance, the Mareatine, Beavaria, Renssia and Tigrasia displaying the greatest athletes in their respected nations. Miss Cheerilee had reviewed each of the games and the cities that had hosted them, showing how the Games represented the times they took place in and became, in their own way, a time capsule. Dinky had become entranced by the Games and had spent many weekends happily playing in the gym the Doctor had gotten his blue box to make just for her. Derpy had watched her little filly for hours play on the balance beam and fling herself about the padded floor, cheering her on. The Doctor had managed to stop by too, when he wasn’t working on the TARDIS, and couldn’t help but laugh at the way the energetic filly flung herself about. Derpy and the Doctor had finally decided two days earlier that it might be time for another quick trip through time. No grand adventure for them this go, however; instead they had decided to take Dinky back a few years so she could see the Equestria Games in Fillydelphia. The unicorn had squealed in delight, thrilled to bits that she’d get to see the Games live. She’d spent the next two days studying up on the city, wanting to know everything about it before they traveled back there. Dinky, they’d learned early on, had a photographic memory and could remember anything she saw, if only for a second. In 24 hours the young pony knew every street, every restaurant location and all the tourist attractions she wanted to visit. About the only thing she didn’t know was the outcome of the Games; she said that would be cheating and ‘spoilers’. “This is going to be nice,” Derpy said, trotting over to the Doctor and kissing him on the cheek. “And very interesting,” the Doctor said. “We’ll only be a small step in the past and so little will have changed that it will feel like a vacation! We can act like a normal family.” Dinky nodded in delight. “We can watch the games and see the sights and shop for souvenirs!” “Yes… yes!” The Doctor grinned like the mad stallion he was and began to process of landing the TARDIS. “We will eat foods made with too much sugar and grease, spend too much on products we do not need and stand in line to look at items that we could see at their creation with the TARDIS! Just like a normal family!” The Doctor ran over to the closet and began to dig around. “Now, were is my vuluzala?” “Yes, completely normal,” Derpy chuckled, the TARDIS’ engines giving off the familiar whirring noise as they landed. She snatched a baseball cap that was sitting on the timeosphere and flipped it onto her head. “We’re here.” “YAY!” Dinky squealed. “Come on, mama, let’s go! Doctor, Doctor come on!” “Coming!” the Doctor said, selecting a tan sports coat from the rack of clothing and tugging it on, his sonic screwdriver going in the pocket. “There, should look properly normal now.” “Why is there a piece of celery pinned to your lapel?” Dinky asked. The Doctor looked down and blushed. “Yes well… there was this… never mind.” He trotted up to the doors and threw open the TARDIS doors. “Ladies, I give you-“ “The Crystal Empire,” Derpy said, looking up at the familiar palace that dominated the landscape. The TARDIS was just on the outskirts of the city, only a few yards away from the barrier that kept the harsh arctic winds at bay and allowed the Empire to remain forever in spring. “Nargles,” the Doctor muttered, looking about. He tapped the TARDIS’ doorframe, shaking his head. “Come on, girl, what are you doing? This isn’t even close to Fillydelphia.” “Who cares?” Dinky said excitedly, trotting out of the blue box. “This is even better! We are in the future… we get to see the games before any other pony!” “Dinky…” Derpy said softly. “You were so excited about seeing the games in Fillydelphia… wouldn’t you rather do that?” “We can always do that, mama! The past is the past and is always there! The future changes and may be gone in an instant!” “She does have a point,” the Doctor said. When the blonde pegasus glared at him the Doctor smirked. “Not that fun when you are the one being double teamed, huh?” “Future games, future games!” Dinky chanted. “Future games, future games!” the Doctor said, chiming in. Derpy smiled at the two of them. “Unlike you, Doctor, I know when to give in and go with the air current. Alright, future Equestria Games it is.” “Yes!” Dinky exclaimed happily, trotting towards the city. “Come on, we need to go to Diamond Street! Should be about two blocks from here.” “How do you even know that?” the Doctor asked, locking the TARDIS door behind him. Dinky grinned as she made her way towards Sapphire Square, the main entrance into the city. Almost every visitor to the Crystal Empire made their way through this square, grabbing necessities from the many shops set up along the west side; there was always something travelers forgot to pack and Sapphire Square let them nab them before heading to one of the inns or hotels in the city, where the prices were ratcheted up to ridiculous levels. There were also tourist booths where one could grab a brochure or a map of the city. “I researched the Crystal Empire last year when it showed up again! Some of the maps were pretty old and worn down but I was able to compare the most complete ones with eyewitness accounts. Then I used Pathway’s Flow Theorem to deal with the inconsistencies and get a pretty detailed map not just of the Crystal Empire’s main streets but also the underground chambers, and the palace layout!” “When did you do all that?” Derpy asked, looking about Sapphire Street, surprised to find it so empty. At this time of day it should have been full of vendors hawking their wares, including t-shirts, travel mugs, and stuffed Princess Cadence dolls. “Somewhere between snack time and recess,” Dinky said, stopping to wave at a vendor who was hawking ‘official’ Crystal Empire saddlebags. “Miss Cheerilee was trying to teach Snips how to do divisions and I got bored.” Dinky rolled her eyes. “I mean, you taught me fractions when I was 2!” “If there are 9 muffins in the TARDIS and all three of us want to share…” Derpy said with a smile, earning a grin from her daughter as the filly remembered their lessons. Derpy stretched her wings, her lips pursing as she looked around. They’d just turned onto Diamond Street and were now heading towards the Emerald Way, the road that led to the Empire’s great sports arena. The gray pegasus loved to pony-watch, which sadly led to many of her accidents when she paid too much attention to an interesting mare or stallion and not what direction she was taking. She just couldn’t help it though… there were just so many interesting things in the world and she hated missing any of them! Her eyes slid slowly to the right, looking at several ponies that were nibbling on sandwiches at an outdoor café. Derpy crinkled her nose and twisted her head to look back at the way they had come, brow furrowed as she considered what she was seeing. “What is it, Derpy?” the Doctor asked quietly. “Doctor, look at the ponies around us,” Derpy whispered. “Look at their coats.” The Doctor frowned. “They are crystal, Derpy. That’s why it is called the Crystal Empire.” “But actually LOOK at the coats,” Derpy said. “Look carefully.” The Doctor stared at a group of ponies that were walking towards them, chatting away about a mare they knew that had just gotten her mane cut. The Time Lord tuned out their prattle and focused on their coats; while he was rather old and well traveled when compared to Derpy he’d learned that the wall-eyed mare tended to have good instincts and it never paid to ignore her warnings. The crystal ponies trotted past them, giving the family a long surprised stare before continuing on their way. “Do you see now?” Derpy asked. “Yes,” the Doctor said, taking out his screwdriver and giving the retreating crystal mares a quick bio-scan. “Yes, you are right.” “Their coats are dull, aren’t they?” “Very,” the Doctor said. “Not as dull as when they reappeared 2 years ago, but dull none the less. Why though?” He looked about, wanting to get another bio-scan but not wanting to draw attention to himself. “While some minor dulling is to be expected, what with their emotions being reflected in their coats, to have such a dull coat while appearing as carefree as those three doesn’t make sense.”\ “And have you noticed how… empty the city is?” The Doctor nodded. “Yes. Almost no pegasi in the sky and only a few unicorns.” “Doctor, mama!” Dinky called out. “Come on!” “Coming muffin!” Derpy called out. “She has your impatience, you do know that.” “She has your attitude,” the Doctor said with a smirk. “What do we do?” Derpy asked her husband, focusing on the task at hand. “We continue on and observe. Hopefully an answer will present itself soon enough.” Said answer presented itself in the form of a mare who looked to be made of solid light-amethyst colliding with Dinky just as the little filly turned down a corner she had declared a shortcut. Derpy raced to her little girl, checking her over before looking towards the mare that was now staring down at them. “I am so sorry!” Derpy told the crystal pony. The amethyst mare was wearing a long black cape trimmed with silver thread and wore a strange coronet upon her head that resembled a spider web. It ran along her forehead and halfway up her horn, the back ending with several delicate strings threaded upon shiny bobbles. “Are you ok? We are trying to get to the arena…” Derpy wondered for a moment if the mare was some visiting dignitary who’d come to the Empire to watch the games. The Hooves family was use to upsetting the elite but Derpy did always try to be as polite as possible during these types of meetings. ‘Let them make the first mistake…’ she always told the Doctor. ‘I feel less bad when they are rude and I destroy them.’ “What…” the mare began. She never got to finish as within seconds a bluish-green orb surrounded her and the family. “No!” she exclaimed in a panic, attacking the translucent orb with a blast of magic. “NO!” “Doctor…” Dinky said nervously, looking about the orb. “Don’t worry, don’t worry!” the Doctor said, pulling out his screwdriver. The head rotated once before the blue light locked onto the bubble. “Aha! Just as I figured!” He smiled to himself, tapping the blue-green wall with his hoof. “This is a standard containment orb. Museums have been using them for centuries as a passive security measure against thieves.” “Are we trapped?” Derpy asked nervously. “Oh, very much,” the Doctor said politely. “Ah, don’t worry though… we can breathe just find. The walls will not let us out but can let anything in. We’ll be able to breathe just fine, so no need to worry about that. We just need to sit comfortably and wait for a unicorn to come by and release us-“ The orb shifted and the amethyst mare let out a cry the bubble lifted off the ground and began to float, rising steadily in the air. “Ok… ok, no need to panic,” the Doctor said, taking out his screwdriver and scanning the bubble again. “The walls are very strong, so no chance of us getting popped and plummeting down. We can just sit here and relax… perfectly safe in here.” “Doctor…” Dinky said quietly. “What if we don’t stop going up?” The Doctor chewed on his lower lip, puzzling that situation out. “Well, if that is the case then we’ll just keep floating up. Nothing to worry about!” “Is there air in space now?” Dinky asked, looking up towards the sky. Derpy’s eyes went wide and she looked at her now pale husband. “…right, maybe you can worry a little.” The Doctor began to scan the bubble in earnest, Derpy reaching over and hugging Dinky while the crystal mare panted in terror. “No no no! Come on, you stupid piece of magical brick-a-brack!” Aiming the sonic at the bubble the Doctor swept it across the entire surface of the bubble, looking for any weak spots. “There must be-NO!” He waved off a lone pegasus that had flown near them. “Touch it and you’ll be dragged along with us! Stay back!” Derpy narrowed her eyes, looking at the skyline that was rapidly flying down past them. “Dinky, stay with this nice mare, ok?” She lifted her daughter onto the crystal mare’s back. “Protect her no matter what.” “O-ok,” the mare said as Derpy spread her wings. “Derpy, what are you-“ the Doctor didn’t get to finish as Derpy rammed into the bubble’s side as hard as she could. She fell to the floor with a thud, shook her head, then rose up and attacked it again. “Derpy, stop that! You can’t pierce the bubble!” “I’m-“ BLOMP! “-not-” BLOMP! “-trying-“ BLOMP! “-to!” Derpy grit her teeth and sped into the bubble’s wall again. “You said that this bubble captures anything that touches it, right? Will drag whatever it touches with it?” “Yes, yes,” the Doctor said quickly, looking away from his wife, hoping to see something in the ripple of the bubble’s magic that would show a weak point. “What if whatever it grabs it too heavy?” Derpy asked after hitting the orb again. “What do you…oh. OH!” The Doctor laughed and pocketed his screwdriver. “You bloody fantastic genius, I’m going to kiss you when we are out of this!” “What’s going on?” the amethyst mare asked. “What are you doing? We can’t get out of here, these orbs are designed to resist attacks.” “We aren’t attacking it,” the Doctor said, joining Derpy in ramming the bubble’s wall. “Just giving it a nudge…” He forced the mare’s head up and she gaped as she saw that the high balcony of the Crystal Palace was now directly overhead. Derpy’s strikes had shifted the orb enough to put them right next to the Palace. “Alright, this is about to get interesting, fillies! On the count of five, leap to your right. One… five!” The foursome leapt away just as the bubble hit the balcony. The magic orb’s wall shimmered as it brought in the stone balcony and the Doctor snagged Dinky in his teeth and tossed her over the rail while Derpy helped the crystal unicorn up. The Time Lord was the last on and let out a victory cheer as the bubble snapped, its upward movement halted. “Bloody genius, Derpy, bloody genius! The bubble can let anything in but can’t let it out… and the balcony is rooted firmly to the Palace, which is much too heavy for this stupid little orb to drag up, meaning it has to stay put until Princess Cadence trots over and lets us out.” “Princess Cadence?” the amethyst mare asked in confusion. “Who is Princess-“ “Solsra!” a deep, noble voice called out. The Hooves family turned and watched as a huge crystal unicorn stallion ran onto the balcony, staring at the crystal mare in shock. His body looked like onyx and a ruby horn jutted out of his forehead. He wore a similar cape as the amethyst mare, who was apparently named Solsra, and his eyes were like emeralds shining from within a deep, dark cave. “Father!” Solsra called out. “Do not worry, my dear,” the stallion said firmly. “My master of traps will release you!” A thin, mousy looking pony with a turquoise coat hurried over and, with a blast of his horn, popped the bubble. The stallion pressed his cheek to his daughter’s, closing his eyes. “How did this happen? One minute you were ahead of me the next you had vanished. The guards forced me to retreat here and I was just about to return to the search when I heard your voice.” “I… I don’t know, father. The security orb malfunctioned and took me and this kind family.” She saw his father’s eyes narrow and quickly sought to calm him. “It wasn’t their fault, father! They were as clueless as me and if it weren’t for them I would have been lost!” The stallion considered the Hooves for a moment before nodding his head. “My daughter’s words ring true. I sense no lie in your hearts… forgive me for doubting you. I have suffered recently from several attacks but that is no excuse for treating you with such suspicious after you rescued my daughter.” The stallion squared his shoulders. “You will dine with us tonight! I will not hear of any excuse. But first, tell me your names.” “Ah, of course,” the Doctor said, putting on a pleasant face even though he felt a weird tickle in the back of his brain, warning him he was missing something. “I am called the Doctor. This is my wife, Derpy, and our daughter, Dinky. And you are?” The onyx stallion laughed. “You are clearly new arrivals to these shores. You saved my daughter, not realizing who she was… truly you are noble ponies.” The stallion smiled, his teeth gleaming like pearls. “I… am King Sombra.” Dinky gulped. “So… no Equestrian Games then?” ~DH~DH~DH Hooves Family Adventures David Tennant Hynden Walch Claire Corlett with Jenna Coleman as Princess Solsra and Idris Elba as King Sombra Let’s Kill King Sombra by defender2222